Straw-cutter



A. W. FOX, OF ATHENS, PENNSYLVANIA.

STRAW-CUTTER.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, A. W. Fox, of Athens, in the county of Bradford and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain Improvements in Straw-Cutters, the construction and operation of which I have described 1 in the following specification and illustrated in the accompanying drawings with sufficient clearness to enable competent and skilful workmen in the arts to which it pertains or is mostly nearly allied to make and use my invention.

My said invention consists in giving an accelerating upward and a retarded downward motion to the knife by means of the employment of eccentric or cam shaped gearing, and also in giving to the knife a sliding motion in the gate by means of a friction roller or its equivalent attached to its end working in an inclined slot in the throat piece which is permananetly attached to the frame as hereinafter more fully set forth.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1, is an end view showing the arrangement of parts by which a sliding motion is given to the knife. Fig. 2, is a vertical longitudinal section of my improved machine in which figure the gearing by which the retarded and accelerated motion is given to the knife is very clearly represented.

A is the frame of the machine made very much as usual in machines of that class.

B is the prime shaft to which the first motion in the machine is imparted either by the hand or machinery. The knife receives motion from the shaft C, and this shaft G is geared to the shaft B by the eccentric wheel D and the elliptic wheel E which are so constructed and so mesh into each other as to give an accelerated upward and retarded downward motion to the knife without changing the speed of the prime mover as will be seen by a careful inspection of the drawings, the eccentric wheel being operated upon 011 the side nearest the center of the shaft when the knife is rising and on the side giving longest leverage to operate it when the knife is descending and perform ing its work. The object of this arrangement is obvious; namely to give increased power to the action of the knife while performing its work upon the material to be operated upon, and accelerating motion when it is returning, at which time there is no work to be performed. The shaft C upon which the wheel D is hung, is connected by a crank G and connecting rod H to the sliding frame I in which the knife J is hung in brackets K in such a manner as to allow it to slide freely through said brackets. This knife is slightly inclined in the frame and has a friction roller attached to its end by the pin m, which roller works in an inclined slot Z made in the throat piece for that purpose. The arrangement of these parts is such that the upward and downward motion of the frame in which the knife is hung will cause the knife to slide in it as may be clearly seen by an inspection of the drawings.

It is well known that almost any cutting instrument operates more easily and at better advantage with a sliding motion upon the material to be cut and especially is this the case in cutting substances of the nature this is intended to cut.

The parts which I have described are those intended to carry out the principles of my improvements, and as these are the only ones not within the ordinary knowledge of a skilful manufacturer of machines of this kind the other parts are not particularly described.

I do not claim as such elliptical or eccentrio gearing, as such gearing has been known before and has been in use for various purposes. Neither do I claim broadly, giving a knife a drawing out independent of the means by which I accomplish such a result.

I am aware that various machines have been devised in which a sliding motion has been given to the gate in which the knife is hung and thereby to the knife, and I am also aware that a sliding motion has been given to a knife which is not hung in a sliding gate. In neither of these cases is the attachment of a common connecting rod practicable when said connecting rod is attached to and operated by a shaft placed athwart or crosswise of the machine as in my invention. It is well known that this is the most convenient and economical mode of arranging the shaft which operates the cutters, and it is for this reason that I have devised the plan of hanging the knife in such a manner as to slide in a sliding gate as above described.

The particular improvements which constitute my' said invention and which I claim as having been originally and first invented by me are 1. The arrangement described and shown of the wheels D and E or their equivalent combination of parts a drawing cut is given in connection with the crank Gr, connecting to the knife without interfering with the atrod H,'sliding frame I and shafts B and C, tachment and operation of the connecting by which I obtain an accelerated upward rod I-I communicating motion from a shaft and retarded downward motion to the knife placed crosswise to the machine as set forth. 1-5

of a straw cutter, as set forth.

2. The combination ofthe sliding frame I with the knife J sliding in the said frame Witnesses: by means of the action of the angular slot W. H. F RITOHER, 10 and roller, or their equivalent; by which H. C. BAIRD. 

